Even if it is a low income housing option, you cannot spare home security at
cost of a fancy carpet or some other flooring supplies.======================
March 1, 2005
The average household freezer is a silent slave. It operates year in and year out, requiring nothing other than a constant supply of electricity. Eventually, though it may need to be replaced.
The following are a few considerations that will allow you to make an informed decision about its purchase.
Most consumers have only a few concerns (other than price) when purchasing a freezer:
1 … What size do I require? 2 … How much electricity will it consume? 3 … What (if any)options do I need?
Size --------------------------------------
Size of course depends upon your needs. Generally though, most people purchase too large a freezer. They base their judgement upon perceived usages rather than real usage. Their reasoning is: We “might” need a larger one in case there “may be” a special at grocery store on something. The reality though is that most freezers end up being operated only half full.
Also, remember that all frozen foods should be consumed within six weeks. Foods stored longer than that can become dehydrated no matter how well wrapped. As moisture leaves food both taste and nutritional value will be lowered. So anything stored longer than six weeks will probably end up being thrown out. As an example, how much ice cream have you thrown away because ice crystals started to form inside package? That ice forming inside package is dehydration at work.
Therefore, when trying to decide how big a freezer to purchase we suggest using what we call “six week rule”.
To use this rule you first approximate how much “frozen” food your family consumes in a six-week period. Then envision how much space those items would require if stacked on your kitchen counter. That will give you an idea of physical size of freezer you require.
Lastly, don’t forget that chest style freezer will require twice floor space of an upright. This may be an important factor if you live in an apartment.
Electricity consumed --------------
Although freezers are efficient consumers of electricity they will definitely increase your electrical bill.
An upright freezer consumes more electricity. This is because every time it is opened cold air spills out onto floor. Consequently, it runs more frequently. Also today’s uprights are often frost free, which by their nature consume much more electricity. So we have to pay for advantage of not having to defrost it.
Chest freezers are more efficient consumers of electricity because cold air lies inside even though lid is lifted to access contents. But, chest types are manual and will need to be shut down and defrosted once a year.
Are there ways to lower electrical consumption of our freezers? Perhaps.
To lower electrical consumption some people only use their freezer seasonally. During summer and fall, when freshly grow food is available, they clean out freezer and turn it off. It is started back up again for winter and spring usage. This practise is common with gardeners who primarily want to store their fall vegetables. Seniors also do this because getting out in winter is more difficult. Therefore they use a freezer to reduce number of trips to grocery store.
Some people are now suggesting a practice called freezer blocking to lower consumption. This entails filling any unused space in freezer with blankets or boxes of insulation. The theory is that only food area would be cooled because air circulation is being blocked off from unused sections. The smaller space being cooled, less freezer should operate.
